Blockton
Blockton, Las Forstain is the capital and second largest city of Las Forstain province. The city is situated in the extreme north-west portion of the province and has developed into a recent major centre in the province. It is situated primarily upon the Blockton Island which is on the Olde Strait, and has some minor settlements on the Delongo Base. The Blockton River and the Blockingham Brook also are situated in the city, with their sources being the major Blockton Springs in the central portion of the island. In 2013 its population was 521,000 but with a metropolitan area of 604,000. Blockton was declared the shiretown of the new county of Las Forstain in 2009 due to its disproportionate university-educated population (86% of adults), however its population was very low at only 4,620. However, due to delays, it did not become a government-host city until 2012 after when Delongo became a nation and the region from Coasttown to Blockton to the Presidential Stop would seperate from their provinces of Claymore Tri, Vue Baie, and Quad-Blix. Since 2009, its population has grown by over 11,000%. Today, Blockton is an importan cultural, financial, and educational hub for Las Forstain and Northern Delongo. It is the largest educational hub on the Northern Delongo Base thanks to its many universites: University of Blockton (59,000 students), Blockingham College (33,000 students), Island Hill University (10,800 students), and the very exclusive Capital University with over 20,000 students (almost only graduate students), but receives over 250,000 applications each year from people around the world (but they only accepts 2% of applications). As a provincial capital, its economy is inextricably tied to the fortunes of the public sector; however, the city also contains growing IT, finance, educational, and commercial sectors. The city has the highest percentage of residents with a post-secondary education in the province and the highest per capita income. Blockton is growing at an exponential rate, and continues to receive incredibly high ratings for quality of life, student life, university rankings, and more. The city is well known for having two commericial cores: the Olde Strait Region in the south-east end of the city (containing the Capital University Campus, the provincial legislature and other major government institutions, many bank provincial headquarters, a shopping mall, shops, a train station, a conference centre, and more), and the Waterloo Avenue Region in the north-west end of the city (containing the University of Blockton, the Blockingham College, shops, malls, world-class cuisine, bars, and more. Landmarks '''Blockton Interchange: '''The Blockton Interchange is a major interchange between QVW 209, QVW 400, and Inglis Avenue. It was originally designed by the Capital Univeristy School of Civil Engineering as an interchange between a major highway and a small street, however due to several major factors that could not be expected, the interchange has turned into one of the most confusing pieces of public infastructure in Delongo. Unexpected factors include: The major highway was originally Highway 143 which could hold four lanes (with no median) and 60km/hr, however when it was replaced by the QVW 209, six lanes with a small median and a minimum speed limit of 90km/hr was required, due to a lack of funds, Capital University could not afford to support the re-building of the interchange, so it was renovated slightly. The DoT requested that the new QVW 400 end at the interchange instead of Inglis Avenue, which CU protested, so they required it be a three-road interchange, which are incredibly rare due to being confusing for motorists. Another issue that arose was that the Inglis Avenue was now a major avenue in Blockton instead of a small street, so it required expansion. The total costs of the renovations came to over $75 million, and remains incredibly confusing for motorists. Funds were offered by the Delongo Ministry to replace the interchange, however the Las Forstain government declined the funds because any reconstruction would destroy a sizable portion of the Capital University. Several proposals have been brought up to close all exits onto QVW 400 and have it begin at the next exit, however the Delongo Ministry would need to approve. Tragically, the interchange has become deadly, with at least three deaths a year on the interchange due to confused motorists. Although Capital University had orginally designed a functional and straight-forward interchange, the DoT has made the interchange into what it is today, so the CU is taking no blame for the interchange.